Additive manufacturing is a process by which a three-dimensional structure is built, usually in a series of layers, based on a digital model of the structure. The process is sometimes referred to as three-dimensional (3D) printing or 3D rapid prototyping, and the term “print” is often used even though some examples of the technology rely on sintering or melting/fusing by way of an energy source to form the structure, rather than “printing” in the traditional sense where material is deposited at select locations. Examples of additive manufacturing techniques include Fused Deposition Modeling, Electron Beam Melting, Laminated Object Manufacturing, Selective Laser Sintering (including Direct Metal Laser Sintering, also referred to as Direct Metal Laser Melting, also referred to as Selective Laser Melting), and Stereolithography, among others. Although 3D printing technology is continually developing, the process to build a structure layer-by-layer is relatively slow, with some builds taking several days to complete.
One of the disadvantages of current additive manufacturing processing relates to quality assurance. There is typically some amount of analysis to determine whether the produced part meets the manufacturing thresholds and design criteria. In some examples, the parts can be evaluated using non-destructive engineering, such as scanning, to ensure that the part meets the design thresholds. However in other cases, the part may have to be dissected in order to test whether a certain lot of products or a sampling has satisfied the design limits. This can lead to considerable inefficiency when, for example, it is later determined that a production lot is defective due to a machining or design problem.
There have been some attempts to alleviate the aforementioned problem. In one example, for selective laser sintering, images are obtained to provide a crude estimation of the production process for the large features. A scoring system is utilized to determine if a part fails. However, such a system is unable to determine the root cause analysis of the failure. In the traditional 3D printing area, there are currently limited techniques.
For at least the reasons recited, there is a growing need for real-time inspection systems and processes that can evaluate the additive manufacturing products and assess the quality of the products and health of the systems.